~Quistis~
Every movement among us stops, every breath now suddenly held when the four strangers stride into the room behind Ellone, the air of entitlement heavy with their every step. We all size each of them up unapologetically, reading each twitch of a finger or flick of an eye around the room as holding more meaning than they intend.
"Uh," the biggest of them all begins, glancing around at his own friends before returning his gaze to the rest of us. His posture shifts subtly, hitching to one side to lean closer to the thin man with longer black hair standing in the middle of them. The blonde of the group came in when Ellone did and stands in front of Squall, the two staring at each other beside the entrance and ignoring everything else occurring. Another brunette, taller than the one with long hair but built the same, has his fingers pinching the edge of his glasses frames while he steps before the brutish looking one.
"Apologies for Gladiolus. Who might be in charge here? Ellone mentioned something about a President." Our eyes trail over to Laguna, who slowly stands from his desk and closes his mouth to stop his gawking.
"Y-yes, I am the President. Uh, President of Esthar here, where you are. Laguna Loire." The man introduces himself, making his way over to the newcomers. He stretches his hand out and shakes each of theirs, nodding when they state each of their names.
"Um, here we have Squall, which you may already know," Laguna holds a hand out to Squall's back, who keeps his eyes locked onto Prompto's. The President hesitates for a moment before he proceeds with introductions around the room, Zell and Seifer lazily waving a few fingers overhead once Laguna calls out their names. Rinoa blushes madly when he introduces her, bringing her legs up onto the sofa and wrapping her arms around them. Selphie offers a little wave while Irvine tips the brim of his hat, nodding to them while Laguna continues on. Odine shows polite disinterest, despite initially being a bit more animated at their arrival. Kiros bows briefly, his long braided dreadlocks falling over his shoulder when he does.
"And finally we have Quistis Trepe," he states with the same hand gesture he used to point out everyone else. Since I sit closest to where the group is standing, I slowly get to my feet and shake each of their hands.
"Quistis, what a beautiful name," the one called Ignis compliments, sliding a silver leather driving glove off of his hand before taking mine. I bow my head slightly in thanks, keeping my eyes on him. Releasing my hand, we both reach up and press our glasses back in place, causing a light chuckle between us.
"There are two others in our group, but they, uh, retired for the evening. Right. Well please, have a seat where you like, I'm sure we have much to discuss. Do any of you need anything? Something to eat or drink, perhaps?" Laguna questions the men as he makes his way back to where he was just seated. Odine switches his seat, freeing up the couch beside mine when he settles himself down near the door on my left side. Two of the three brunettes thank the doctor for his move while strutting over to take their seats. Ignis thanks the doctor as well, but decides to take the seat to my right so he is close to the others while still leaving room for Prompto to sit down with them.
"Hey, Squall," Seifer calls out to get the man's attention. Squall turns around and blinks, apparently missing all of the introductions and movements. Seifer puts on his signature smirk, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair. "You're staring man, let him sit down already. Sharing is caring." Squall scowls at the blonde's teasing, his cheeks shifting to a light pink. He nods at the blonde named Prompto in front of him without looking into his eyes before shuffling back over to the chair in front of Laguna's desk. Ellone glides to the other seat in front of the president's desk, placing a hand on Laguna's arm which he quickly grabs and squeezes. They smile at each other before settling themselves down.
"Do you have Cup Noodles here?" Gladiolus asks us, tucking the length of his jacket beneath himself before sitting. Noctis smiles at his friend's question before putting his hand over his eyes and shaking his head.
"Um, what? No, um, unfortunately I don't believe we do, but if you are familiar with all of the ingredients, my chefs can make it for you?" Laguna offers. Gladiolus smiles and shakes his head, thanking the man for the offer but mentioning something about how it wouldn't be the same somehow.
"Do you perhaps have Ebony here?" Ignis asks, glancing beside himself toward me. I quirk an eyebrow, unsure of what that might actually be.
"Coffee, he means coffee. Ebony is a brand of coffee we have back home," Noctis clarifies, chuckling when he looks at Ignis. The brunette looks at his hands, now folded politely in his lap and shakes his head.
"Yes, I should have clarified, apologies." Laguna points to the man standing against the wall, alerting him to go retrieve some coffee for the newcomers.
"Yes, we do have coffee here, ha!" he laughs, before asking if the others would like some as well. They all nod and the man leaves, stating he will return with a few pots should anyone else like some.
"Man," Noctis states before pointing to each of his friends, "No Ebony, no Cup Noodles and no cell service. I may just be the only one who survives it here." His friends chuckle as the blonde suddenly pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it up toward the ceiling.
"Aww man! Why'd you have to remind me? I was doing so good at Fal'Cie Sin! I just got a new dressphere for Yuna! It makes it so she can harness Chaos in her abilities when she wears it!" The rest of us stare at the blonde as he gets over excited about his phone in his hand. Noctis snickers again, reaching for Prompto's arm and pulling it back down to their sides.
"Sorry Prompto, Gentiana said they don't work here. No 'Fall Season Fashion Show' for you." The blonde turns and playfully smacks the man's hand off of his arm, smiling at his play on the words.
"Fal'Cie Sin! Not fall season fashion show Noct, it's a fighting game!" The rest of us chuckle at their antics. Prompto, suddenly remembering they aren't alone, slides his phone back into his pocket and sits down, glancing toward Squall with blushing red cheeks.
"Well, at least your camera still works here Prompto, thanks to the power of the crystal. Although, I am still not quite sure how that is possible." Ignis mentions beside me with a smile to ease his blonde friend's embarrassment.
"Oh yeah, that's true! Works just like all of our weapon calling. Way to go Noct Power!" Prompto perks right up at the mention of his camera, the device hanging in the middle of his chest from a thick canvas strap that wraps around his neck.
"You said Gentiana? Is she here with you?" Selphie asks, leaning forward on her cushion and focusing in on the name that was previously dropped. I notice Irvine's eye on her, making sure her gaze didn't linger too long on any of the newcomers. I sigh, if only those two would just make it official already.
"She was with us when we got here, and waited for Ellone to wake up again before they took off," Prompto replies. Squall shifts his eyes to Ellone's, worry appearing within them. She holds her hand out toward Squall and smiles sweetly.
"I'm fine, I just fainted when Gentiana used me to bring them here." Squall and Laguna ease with her assurances, but still watch her a bit closer now.
"Well, you all seem to be handling this, um, transition rather well considering," Laguna mentions, smiling at the group while folding his hands to rest on top of his desk.
"We've done this before. Or I should say Noct has. He told us about how he's traveled back in time with Umbra before and sort of assumed we all did the same thing, just together this time," Gladiolus points to Noctis beside him.
"We were a bit on edge when we arrived though, since it is our first time. Ellone explained much of it to us on our way here. This is a first for us all, being somewhere we have never visited before," Ignis explains, glancing over toward me. I offer a small smile before pinching the rim of my glasses.
"I have to say it is most fascinating seeing you all here in one place after all this time," Odine mentions, looking over at Laguna when he does. The President warily stares at the doctor, wondering what he means before nodding politely. Servants enter the room, pushing a cart full of ceramic mugs and steaming pots of coffee.
"Ah, here we are. I don't know if it will stand up against the flavor of Ebony, but Estharian roast is the best in the world, in my opinion." The President assures the men with a proud grin as they receive mugs before the man pours the coffee into them. They each request cream and sugar, Ignis omitting either option and bringing the mug up under his nose. He inhales the scent of the liquid deeply, steaming his glasses slightly as he does.
"It smells divine," he states before blowing lightly on it a few times. I thank the man for my own cup, setting it on my knee to let it cool. Watching Ignis take his first sip, I see his long lashes flutter shut when the coffee slides down his throat with a delayed gulp. "This is quite good, thank you," he says to Laguna when he opens his eyes again and stares into his cup.
"Damn fine cup of coffee," Prompto agrees, holding the mug up to the President with a sunny grin in thanks. Laguna nods, taking his own sip once the servant makes his way to the desk.
"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" he asks again, hoping to keep his guests as comfortable as possible. Squall pinches the bridge of his nose, finding the man's constant need to feed everyone overbearing most of the time and willing him to stop with his thoughts. I press my fingers against my lips, keeping my giggle to myself at the show of disapproval. Ignis notices my shift of position out of the corner of his eye, glancing toward me. He holds his cup out toward mine and smiles. I lift the mug up off of my knee and lightly tap it against his, returning the smile before we both take a drink.
"Actually, if it is at all possible, I would like to spend some time in the kitchens at some point. I find cooking quite calming and a nice distraction to organize my thoughts." The brunette beside me requests humbly. Noctis snorts and mimics Squall's gesture, pinching the bridge of his nose before he starts to tease.
"Iggy hasn't even tried the food here and he already wants to take over the menu." But Laguna waves a hand at the two and nods.
"Of course, whatever you like. The palace is my home, and my home is your home as long as you are here. Please, feel free to make yourselves comfortable. Kiros," he calls out to the man standing idly beside Ellone. Kiros looks over at the President, waiting for the words we are already anticipating Laguna to say. "Please ask the maids to ready an additional 4 rooms for them, the ones that are already settling in Cloud and Vincent. Alert the staff of their arrival and stay. I don't want anyone harassing my guests thinking they are intruders wandering the halls." Kiros nods and turns to the door, leaving the room to carry out his orders.
"You all must be tired after the distance you traveled. Knowing what sort of toll it takes out on Ellone, I would think you all might feel similar. Might I suggest we retire for an early evening and continue discussions in the morning?" The men glace between each of themselves, looking toward Noctis to make the decision. The brunette shrugs after a few moments, standing from his cushion and walking over toward Laguna. The President stands and faces the man who now stretches his hand out toward him.
"Thank you for your hospitality Mr. President." Laguna nods and smiles at the others before glancing toward me.
"Quistis, would you mind showing these men to the Hall of Rooms?" I nod, standing from my own cushion and finishing my cup of coffee, placing the cup gently on the coffee table.
"Thank you," Ignis says, smiling toward the President before turning to follow me. With the others in tow, I guide them back out into the hallway.
"This is Laguna's office,"I gesture behind us before I turn to point out the door at the end of the hall, deciding to give them a bit of a tour since they'll be staying. "That is the conference room and that door is Laguna's quarters."
"Yes, Ellone explained this level to us when we arrived, as well as the lift. Interesting mechanics there," Ignis points out when we face the floating seat. I smile at him, walking the others toward it. We each sit down, sitting closer together than usual considering Gladiolus' size. The large man is pressed against one of my sides, while Ignis presses against the other. He turns his eyes toward mine, our faces only a few inches apart.
"Apologies," he mumbles, the smell of the coffee on his warm breath. I shake my head, pressing my glasses closer to my face when I look away from his eyes, feeling warmth creep up my face. The lift finally takes us back to the main entrance and we each step off, the men turning to face me. Ignis offers his hand to me as I step off, smiling sincerely. The warmth in my cheeks grows as I take his hand and step off, releasing it quickly.
"This is the main entrance to the palace," I point off to our left toward the large opening, "down there are all of the utility rooms, kitchens, launders, training facilities as well as the servants' quarters. And over here," I start to walk toward the large opening to our right, the group following behind me, "is the hall of rooms where we all stay aside from the President, of course." I notice a few maids scurrying in and out of rooms near the end of the hall when we turn the corner, figuring that was where they will be staying.
"Those must be ours," Ignis mentions as he walks beside me. I nod, keeping my eyes forward while we make our way toward them. We stand out in the hall for a moment while the last maid finishes preparing the final room, smiling at us when she leaves with her cart. I turn and face them, holding my hand out beside me.
"If you need anything else, I am in this room here," They turn toward the room across the hall from one of theirs where I have been staying.
"Uh, how do we get in? We didn't get any keys or anything." I frown at Prompto's question.
"Keys?" Prompto smirks at me and starts twisting his fist in front of him.
"Yeah, y'know, keys. The things that go into locks to unlock and open doors and stuff?" Unsure what he meant by something that goes into the door, I press the main button on the panel beside the entrance to one of their rooms and the door slides open with a swoosh. "Whoa!" Prompto says, hopping away from where he stood near the now open doorway. I walk inside the room and point to the panel on the inside.
"The big button on the bottom opens the door, and the number keys are how we lock and unlock them. Here," I say, pressing and holding the new code button on the top right. "Give me a number sequence you will remember," Ignis blinks at me before looking down, a gloved finger pressed to his lips.
"5519." he decides. I press the numbers before pressing the new code button again. A few chimes confirm the code being changed.
"Is that your birthday or birth year or something?" I ask, wondering what year they came from. He smiles and shakes his head, following me out of the room.
"No, the last four of my cell phone number." I press the button to close the door behind us, smiling at his selection.
"Good choice," I mention, pressing the door button again. The door now chimes deeply, alerting the person trying to enter that a key code is needed to open it. "The door is locked now, the only way to enter is to put in your key code." I press the numbers again and the door slides open. Folding my hands in front of me, I smile to the others.
"Anything else I can do for you before you retire for the evening?" They shake their heads and thank me, each filtering through the other three doors while Ignis stands beside me. They mumble their goodnight to each other before shutting their doors, chiming heard across the three rooms while they set their own key codes.
"Thank you again Ms. Trepe, for the tour of the palace," Ignis says, removing his glove and holding his hand out to me. I shake it lightly, smiling at him.
"Quistis, please, and of course. I mean it, if you have any more questions, I'm right here." I tilt my head toward my door. He nods, releasing my hand and bids me good evening. I repeat the phrase, turning from his door to head back down the hall.
"Are you not retiring?" he asks behind me. I shift back to face him, folding my hands in front of me.
"I'm not sure the rest of us are done with our discussions yet." I mention, bringing the back of my hand up to my lips to cover a yawn, the events of the day finally catching up to me. He nods at me and smiles again, which I return the gesture before heading back down the hall.
"Quistis," he calls while stepping out into the hall to stand behind me. I turn and face him, eyeing him cautiously. "If I may ask, would you mind showing me to the kitchens before you return upstairs? I'm not quite as eager to retire for the evening as the others." I nod, turning and heading back to the main entrance. Passing through the large room, Ignis steps up beside me, remaining there instead of trailing behind like before. We pass a few of the recreational rooms, which I point out to him before finally coming to the first of the kitchens. I enter the room with Ignis at my side, informing the people working inside who he is and that he will be staying at the palace.
"You may see him often in here so, don't be alarmed. He is a welcomed guest of ours...or um, of the President's." I quickly correct, nodding toward them before turning back toward the brunette. The man looks all around the room, smiling at everything he sees before looking back at me, keeping his smile in place.
"I'll leave you to it then," I say, quickly heading toward the door. His eyes follow me when I take my leave, watching me stop near the entrance. "Help yourself to anything. I'm sure Laguna won't mind. Good evening," I mutter before exiting the kitchen and heading back toward the lift. My face flushes again, I notice, placing my hands on my cheeks and shaking my head. An honest slip of the tongue, I reassure myself as I make my way back to the others. Nothing more, I think while my flush subsides. Placing a hand over my heart, I feel it beating a bit faster now. Nothing more, I think again.
~Seifer~
Quistis reenters the room and takes her seat again, asking us if she missed anything and telling us she gave a quick tour to our visitors before most of them retired into their new rooms. "Ignis is in the kitchens now, I showed him where they are," she concludes, brushing her bangs away from her face. I narrow my eyes at her, noticing a bit of pink appearing on her cheeks. Interesting, I think before turning back to Squall. Frowning slightly, the brunette only sinks further into his chair, staring down at his hands while he gets lost in thought.
Laguna appears lost in thought as well, glaring down at the top of his desk while Selphie and Irvine stand from their seats and excuse themselves. Squall nods at them, urging the rest of us to go ahead and depart if we are tired.
"Nothing else to discuss really, until we all can be together." Rinoa skips toward the door, smiling at Selphie when she passes her to leave. Selphie snorts, knowing the reason behind the girl's giddiness before taking off after her. Irvine sighs, waving limply behind him before he leaves.
"Well, if there's nothing else to do," I say, standing from my seat and glancing over toward Zell. The blonde frowns slightly before shifting in his seat away from me, remaining seated on his couch and leaning toward Squall. I release my own sigh, knowing he still is guarding himself against me but not knowing if the show is for himself or for the others. Regardless of his reasons, I respect them, nodding toward the others before stepping away from the couch. Quistis suddenly stands as well, pressing her glasses closer to her face before meeting me at the doorway.
"Seifer," she says, stepping in front of me while we exit. I watch her turn to face me, wanting to say something further.
"Trepe," I state, quirking an eyebrow at her to urge her to continue. She huffs, shifting away from me as we both make our way down the hall.
"Quistis is fine, Seifer, how many times must I tell you?" she asks, her usual irritation present in her voice. I put on my best smirk for her, laying out the Almasy charm.
"Oh, once or twice more I suppose," I mention, taking a seat on the newly returned lift. She shakes her head at me and smiles, giving up on the same argument we always have and sitting down beside me.
"Tell me Seifer, what do you think of them?" she asks, leaning closer to me as she does. I stare at her, wondering what she means before I give my analysis. She smiles a bit before patting her hand on my knee, "You always were a good judge of character before… everything happened."
"No idea yet. They seem arrogant and entitled, but trustworthy for the most part. I already see interests peaking between them and a few of us," I mention while watching her reaction closely out of the corner of my eye. As predicted, her shoulders tense at my last words before she pinches her glasses. Thought so, I think to myself, noticing a closeness between her and the other one with glasses. I brush it off before she feels obligated to explain anything away. "Too early to tell though really." She nods beside me, stepping off the lift when it stops. She turns to face me, exhaustion seeming to spread through her features as she grins.
"I thought as much, but wanted to ask anyway," she breathes out through a yawn. Walking with her toward the rooms silently, I notice her checking behind us a few times to look down the opposite hallway.
"Looking for Ignis?" I ask, unable to help myself. She stares at me briefly before facing forward, keeping her eyes locked on the wall we are approaching.
"No, just, curious if he remembers how to get back to the rooms," she states, turning the corner with me slightly behind her now. The hallway is mostly empty, other than the cart that is now parked near the end of the long corridor. Quistis frowns at the object before turning to bid me goodnight since we reach my room before hers.
"Goodnight," I say, pausing before entering my room in order to see what is going on down there. Quistis quickly reaches the cart as Ignis leaves one of the rooms. He smiles fondly at her, the two speaking briefly before he points to one of the covered dishes in front of them. She thanks him, taking the dish into her hands before the man nods and pushes the cart toward me. Quistis turns and watches him go, a sweet smile across her lips before her eyes find mine. Flushing, she quickly turns and punches a few numbers in to unlock her door, stepping inside and shutting it hastily behind her. Ignis makes his way toward me, smiling as he approaches.
"I was unaware how many of you remained awake. Had I known, I would have brought more of the food I prepared with me. Would you like me to retrieve some for you? I won't be but a moment." I hold a hand out to stop him from taking off.
"No, thanks, I'm pretty beat, but thank you for the offer." The man nods, bidding me goodnight before pushing the cart around the corner. I watch him leave before glancing back toward Quistis' door, grinning. About time she finds somebody, I think internally before entering my room and pressing the button to close the door behind me. Before I can reach the bed, a light knocking sound comes from my door. My mind immediately goes to Zell before I shake the thoughts from my head, returning to the door and opening it. Squall stands in front of me, weary exhaustion painted over every feature.
"Hey," I greet the man, turning so he can follow me into the room. Squall shuts the door behind him and falls against the cushions of my couch with a groan, laying his arm over his eyes almost immediately. "You crashing here?" I ask, tossing the extra blanket that is folded up and kept on the chair in the corner of the room. It lands on his stomach, surprising him as he raises his arm to see what it is before lowering it again.
"I don't know," he mumbles, taking the blanket off of his stomach and shoving it behind his head. Sighing heavily, I sit on my bed and remove my boots, throwing them somewhere near the doorway. Scooting back against the headboard, I raise an arm behind my head and stare at the brunette, waiting for him to say what is bothering him. "He's here Seif," he says finally without moving his arm to look at me. I scrunch up my forehead, knowing what he's going through better than he does since I know what it feels like to be so close to someone you like without being able to show it.
"I know," I state in a hushed tone, tugging the blankets from the other side of the bed on top of me. Moments later, while I wait for him to say anything else, I catch the light snores coming from the couch. Squall has fallen asleep, fatigue finally catching up with him when he laid his body down. Smiling at the man, I quietly approach him and tug his shoes off. Grabbing another blanket from the small closet near the door, I shake it out a few times to unfold it before draping it gently over him.
"Sleepover," I tease the sleeping man as an attempt to mimic Selphie. I smirk before returning to the bed and lying down as quietly as I can so I don't wake him. He deserves somebody too, I think before flicking the lights off and shutting my eyes.